SPF
by dashinginconverse
Summary: Being sunburned sucks. Having someone to help out with said sunburn doesn't. CodyAJ, oneshot


_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything!_

_**Summary: Being sunburned sucks. Having someone to help out with said sunburn doesn't. CodyAJ, oneshot**_

_Okay! So, I really like these two together. And being sunburned myself, it just seemed to call out for a fic. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys this little fic! I'd love to hear your thoughts and whatnot. Thanks for reading!_

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**SPF**

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AJ Lee groaned.

Normally, she'd keep her feelings to herself, not complaining when something was wrong, not shouting when she was angry, but some things just needed to be voiced. Some things just needed to have precedence over everything else.

AJ knew one thing - this sunburn _hurt._

She was certain she could come up with a few other choice words for it, but she didn't see the need. It was just her and the unfortunate consequence of not wearing sunscreen, nothing else. Normally, she'd have been one of the first people in line to slather on the tanning lotion to prevent skin damage due to the sun. Seeing all the horror stories on television about someone who didn't use sunscreen or used a tanning bed more often than they should, and then finding out that they had skin cancer had scared her, and caused her to be so protective over her skin it was almost comical.

_But, _she supposed, _every one slips up._

And this "slip up" was a major pain. Literally and figuratively.

The show tonight was in Florida. Sunny, sunny Florida. She had showed up at the arena with a smile on her face - a smile that was completely forced and pained because the very friction of the clothes on her back made her want to sob pathetically.

As soon as she entered the place, she was confronted with the Miz. Obviously he had something to say, which was, "Damn, AJ, I know we're in Miami, but that's playing the part a bit too well, don't you think?"

AJ had laughed, but was dying inside. Really, she was so excited to see the beautiful beach that she couldn't contain herself. She, Kaitlyn, and a couple of the other Divas went immediately to the beach. While Kelly and Eve laid out, AJ took to the ocean with the boogie board she borrowed from an all-too-willing fan.

Hours later, this was the story. Her lobster-red skin was sensitive to even the slightest touches, and the fact that she shivered every now and again, almost as if she caught a fever or something didn't help matters. She hadn't had a sunburn in so long that she wasn't sure if it was a part of it or not.

She sighed and made her way to her locker room, trying to move as little as possible along the way. Even breathing too deeply was enough to agitate her state of being. AJ gave a petite little cough as she turned the final corner that led up to the dressing room to get out of her ring gear.

Earlier that day, she and Beth Phoenix were going over some moves that would be in their upcoming match on Smackdown. She had been sunburned then, as well, and every move was torture, but she was going to try her best to make the match a good one, but she took one bump and almost burst into tears.

(Okay, she _totally _burst into tears. There was no "almost" there.)

Just a few minutes later, as she was putting ice on her back, she was told that, "We can't have you on television looking like a boiled lobster - especially when you just cried over a simple bump."

She had been embarrassed, but she supposed that it was nothing she didn't deserve. She should have been more cautious when she hit the beach. It was no one's fault but her own.

"AJ," a familiar voice called out.

She turned, expecting to defend herself against whatever insults this particular person was going to dish out at her.

Cody Rhodes stared at her, cocking his head to the side. His eyes, as bright and blue as ever, were curious, and then that curiosity transformed into amusement. An incredulous laugh escaped from his chest and he clutched his stomach in response to it.

"Oh, man," he said between deep, belly laughs. "I heard about you getting removed from tonight's show, and I was going to see if you legit got injured, but…_hell_, I didn't expect _this_!"

Feeling a blush burn even beneath her sun damaged skin, AJ huffed, "Dude! Don't laugh at me!"

"You look like a crab!"

"I wish people would stop comparing me to shellfish!"

"They would if it wasn't _the truth_!" he exclaimed.

AJ wrinkled her nose at him, trying to find something to say in response but coming up empty.

In a moment, Cody's face changed from outright hysteria to curious introspection. "You know what? Wait right there. I'll be back."

He had turned around before AJ even got another word out, but she did manage to call after him with, "What? You getting more insults from your Book of Jokes?"

Cody ignored her and continued walking. He disappeared around the corner that led to the Superstars' locker room, and AJ felt an immediate prickling down her spine. Was he going to go get more of the guys to come laugh at her? The thought of any one of his friends coming back with him and seeing her like this - and then making fun of her as well - was enough to get her blood to run cold.

During the time that she was waiting, AJ wracked her brain for any comebacks that she could find. She came up empty of course. _Right,_ she thought hopelessly. _I'm without ammunition when he comes back with the cavalry._

Minutes later, Cody rounded the corner again. To AJ's complete surprise, he was alone. This was interesting. Far too interesting. _You could have just left, _a nagging voice prodded the back of her mind.

"But you're too stupid to do that," she mumbled to herself.

Cody was smiling as he walked up to her, hiding something behind his back. _Oh God, _AJ thought. _He's going to take a picture of me or something to put on Twitter._

When he was within arm's reach, he brought out the questionable item from behind his back. AJ blinked several times, confused. "Lotion?"

Cody looked at her as if she were being particularly dense. "For your burn. It helps a lot."

"I thought you spray tanned," AJ said, smirking. _There you go, girl!_

Cody snickered for a moment and then said, "That's Miz, not me."

AJ let a laugh escape her lips as she accepted the offering brought to her by The Dashing One. He gave her a nod and said, "Just put this on when you wake up and before you go to bed. Works wonders."

AJ tried not to find it comical that she was receiving dermatological advice from Cody Rhodes, but considering his previous gimmicks, she figured weirder things had happened. She flipped the bottle of lotion over and over in her hands and then said, "Thanks."

"No problem." He grinned at her.

Just as AJ was about to say something else, a flash nearly blinded her. She gasped in shock, almost dropping the savior-in-a-bottle. As the white spots cleared her vision, she was able to focus on Cody's smirking figure, looking as devilishly handsome as ever, holding his Blackberry in his hands.

"Oh, yeah, this is going on Twitter…_now_." He said, pressing a button on his phone before cackling and swiftly walking off.

"Cody! _Cody_!" AJ shouted after him. But he was gone, and she really didn't feel like chasing after him. If what he said was correct, the damage had already been done, anyway. Her shoulders slumped and she turned to head into the Divas' locker room.

AJ found that her phone had a text from Kaitlyn, one that simply said, _Lobsterface has hit the internet._

She sent a message that said, even more simply, _Shush._

* * *

The next morning, AJ found out that the lotion did indeed work wonders. Only after one application, the redness and burning and pain was gone.

She _also_ found out that the picture Cody posted of her had _two thousand_ comments.

Another thing AJ Lee found out? It was definitely possible to both hate and love someone at the same time.

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_**End.**_


End file.
